Stoic bearing hides the feelings
of Ned Reuben (facing page) as he
escortsJac,his last daughter,to
the altarof Waipiro Bay Church.
Although seemingly done in
pakeha style, weddings are Maori
through and through. Scheduled
for Easteror Christmasso that
relatives from afar can attend,
rites at churchor meetinghouse are
conducted in Maori,followed by
speeches and feasting.Kinfolk
bringtheir harvest of sweet
potatoes, cabbages,seaweed,
seafood, beef, mutton, and pork,
to be cooked in wire baskets in
stone-lined underground ovens.
Women serve the steaming repast
from the marae kitchen (above).
Huntedfor food, wild pigs are
tracked by dogs in the scrub
country and dispatchedwith long
blades. Puke Manuel singes the
hairfrom his kill (right)and
later butchers and divides the
carcassfor home freezers.
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